The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has expressed deep concern over what he described as the normalisation of crime and dishonesty in Nigeria’s political system.
In a statement posted on his official X handle on Monday, October 6, Obi said that those meant to uphold integrity in public life have instead become examples of corruption and decay.
He stated, “Whenever I talk about Nigeria being a crime scene, those who are part of the criminality and their hirelings will quickly start their noise-making, attacking and blackmailing me.
“But how do you tell people that those whose integrity, character and behaviour are supposed to be exemplary and emulated in society have become the very source of the nation’s decay?”
Obi described certificate forgery as “a serious criminal offence in all countries of the world,” adding that it is “one of the most corrupt practices heavily punished.”
Recalling his visit to Indonesia earlier in the year, Obi said he met with top officials, including the country’s elections commission chairman, who told him that any politician caught presenting a forged certificate “attracts immediate disqualification and prosecution.”
According to him, “If someone can forge a certificate, how can that person be trusted to lead others?”
He, however, lamented that in Nigeria, such crimes are often ignored or dismissed.
““The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) makes no effort to scrutinize certificates before the elections, overlooks complaints of forgery, and when you challenge after the elections, the court will dismiss the serious criminal issues as ‘pre-election matters’ without giving this criminal act appropriate punishment,” he said.
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Obi criticised the culture of impunity in the system, questioning how “criminals and dishonest people scale through all the scrutiny layers—security, parliament, and government apparatus set to handle such.”
He said it was even more troubling that “most of these dishonest people swore to an affidavit before a law court attesting to the authenticity of the documents they presented.”
With the 2027 general elections approaching, the Labour Party’s 2023 flagbearer urged INEC to act decisively by reviewing past forgery complaints and strengthening its verification process.
He proposed, “Our Electoral amendments must include that anyone intending to contest for any public office, whether an incumbent or a new candidate, must submit all academic certificates to the electoral body immediately after party primaries, at least six months before the election.
“These certificates, alongside details of schools attended, what was studied and years of study, should be made public for verification within 90 days.”
He further stressed that the same rule should apply to appointed officials, including ministers and aides, “because when dishonesty starts from the top, it spreads to every level of governance.”
Concluding his statement, Obi called for stronger enforcement and accountability mechanisms to restore integrity to public service.
“We must deal with certificate forgery holistically with the seriousness and level of criminality it deserves. Criminal offences should not be dismissed as a mere procedural matter.
“We must end the era where forgery and deceit are rewarded with power. True leadership must begin with truth,” he said.